I do have a sister. I have several of them. In fact, both of my sisters are included in a family riddle:
I'm the first, but not the oldest Jeffrey is the youngest, but not the last
Okay, I won't make you guess. I was born to my parents, but we adopted my older sister Starla when all of us siblings were in our 20s. Jaime joined our family when I was 11, she was 10, and Jeffrey was 7, so both Jaime and Starla are the reason why he's the youngest, but not the last.
I can't imagine life without my sisters. They have each had a powerful impact on who I am. It's such an honour to know them and I enjoy them immensely. They're both beautiful and talented and brave. One of their bravest moments was posing for pictures on my wedding day in -37 degrees Celsius weather! Bitter cold, but look at those gorgeous, courageous smiles.
We did wrap them in a fuzzy blanket between shots.
Before I had sisters by adoption, my cousin Marilou was like a sister to me--and she still is. We're only two months apart and have shared a lot of life together. After my cancer scare, she sent me a pair of peach-coloured earrings, because that's the colour of endometrial cancer. When I wear them, I feel gratitude for so very many things.
I have beautiful sisters-in-law: Lori, Nadia, Rhonda.
And I have been blessed with more friends than I can count in one sitting, some who have known me for decades. Three friends drove together to see me last Saturday. One day wasn't enough. We meet every year for a weekend retreat (not last year because of COVID), and I feel like they put me back together almost every time we talk.
These are just a few of the reasons why, when Aunt Linda forwarded a poem from her friend Jill Cavanagh, it resonated deeply in me and I was excited about the possibility of publishing it. Nearly a year later, the dream has become a reality and we have a delightful, poignant hardcover book.
We're having a party next Thursday evening to officially launch the book. We're going to enjoy an in-person party with dinner and a program at my church in Okotoks (about 10 minutes south of Calgary).
We're also going to broadcast the party program via Zoom and Instagram, so if you want to join us, but you aren't in Calgary, sign up for the Zoom link!
Everything you need to know is here: https://www.siretona.com/product-page/party-price-if-i-had-a-sister.
Do you have a special sister? How about sister-friends? How do you celebrate the sisterhood of friendship?